Letting Go for a While

This week marks the beginning of my sabbatical. My regular readers have come to expect posts each Friday. Until my return in August, I’ll be letting go of that pattern along with the daily routines of being a bishop.

I’ll still be reading, writing, and praying. That’s an essential part of my spiritual practice. But I’m stretching into some new themes and new ideas and looking into publishing short pieces in some additional platforms. In addition to that, I’m writing toward my next book if not precisely writing it. For now, though, I’ll be keeping most of what I write to myself.

This month Joy and I will do some traveling. We’re participating in a pilgrimage to Ireland and digging into Celtic Christian Spirituality. Following that pilgrimage we will visit Mauthausen, the concentration camp that my mother survived.

From time to time I’ll post reflections from my studies and travels. But in keeping with sabbath time, I’ll wait until August to return to a regular pattern of posting.

Connecting with my readers is one of the great joys of my life. I’m genuinely grateful to and for you. Until August…….

My pilgrimage group travels to Ireland tonight! We will have a week there beginning on Inishmore, Aran, then down to Dingle. It would be wonderful to cross paths, but I won’t hold my breath. On the 11th, we are off to Skye and Lewis in Scotland. I will be eager to read whatever you are moved to write about your Celtic journeys.

On Thursday I did a post called “Holding On and Letting Go”, an autumn post with a quote attributed to Rumi.. Life is a balance of holding on and letting go. Now is the time to let you go, to release you to the joy and wonder of discovering, exploring, experiencing new things. For you and Joy I pray that God will richly bless you both in every way and keep you safe but especially that you’ll find beauty, wonder and comfort each step of the way and return with hearts full of gratitude. Much love (and gratitude) to you both from Liz

May you be blessed with safe travels – encounter people who want to be helpful – bask in the goodness of God and
( ‘The blessings of heaven, the blessing of earth, the blessings of sea and of sky, on those you love today and on every human family.” – John Philip Newell)